For a taste of Amador County wine country, all one needs to do is take a jaunt along Steiner or Shenandoah roads in Plymouth. As two of the main wine-tasting arteries, the avenues are a nod to both the past and the ever-evolving present.

On one side of Shenandoah, for example, sits Nine Gables Vineyard, a small, family-owned winery in a simple cottage surrounded by gnarled 105-year-old Mission vines. There’s no tasting fee.

Just a half-mile north is Andis Wines, a bold, shiny steel and wood showpiece spanning 17,000 square feet and commanding a hilltop. It’s owned by a real estate and investment management team, and asks a $5 fee.

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That’s a big part of exploring this expansive area — around every bend is a different surprise.

Renwood Winery, Plymouth

The entrance feels a bit commercial, but the separate tasting room center is spectacular, a modern sophisticated space with lots of wood and polished edges, massive sliding barn doors, and a tasting bar that appears to float under pendant lighting.

Old trucks, tractors, vintage cars and quite a bit of rusted metal-whatever frame the gravel parking lot, while the tasting room is constructed with scrap from a salvaged 1950s California State Fair building. Yes, those are real goats wandering the crush pad, usually following their “dad,” the ZZ Top-bearded winemaker-owner Rudy Chinco, who’s usually wearing a baseball cap.

But Chinco, 86, loves wine, vintage cars and animals, so it all makes sense. And he loves Amador, so his wines reflect the region, showcasing Barbera, Tempranillo, Zinfandel and Petit Syrah for a $5 tasting fee. If you want to see more, just ask, and a staffer — plus perhaps a goat or two — will take you on a vineyard tour.

You know you’re at the right place when you see the giant Doggie Diner head next to the vineyard. Owners Jim and Suzy Gullett purchased the 7-foot tall, rotating fiberglass head of a wide-eyed, grinning dachshund trimmed in a bow tie and chef's hat at an auction, after the iconic Bay Area hot dog and hamburger chain closed in 1986.

The funky, country mood flows into the bare-bones but comfy red barn. The ultra-friendly, relaxed $5 tastings cover five wines chosen from a list of nine, including a Rosato di Sangiovese, Barbera, Zinfandel and Port. Or, you can amp up with the $10 estate tasting, bringing three of the regular menu wines plus three limited production Sangiovese bottlings.

For a fancier experience, the farm-to-glass tour ($20, Friday-Sunday) takes you into the vineyard for a walking tour while you sip and nibble small bites from chef Beth Sogaard of Amardor Vintage Market along the way. Some of the six pairings include Pinot Grigio with goat feta and apricot paste, Sangiovese with paprika pork tenderloin, Zinfandel OGP with balsamic grilled flank steak, and Frivolo Moscato with walnut almond praline crème.

Stroll past the industrial warehouse winery at the entrance to the hacienda in the back of the property, decked in a red tile roof and surrounded by gardens, stone pathways, wine barrels and metal bistro tables. That’s the location of the tasting room, with tile floors, arched-door rooms, tasting bars perched on wine barrels, Latin American art and a collection of elaborate, Salvador Dali-esque decorated saddles glittering with silver.

Owners Iscander “Isy” and Eliana Borjón looked to Isy’s family for inspiration, honoring a long heritage that began in France before Isy’s great-great-grandfather migrated to Mexico in the mid-1860s during the Franco-Mexican War.

Isy’s parents came to the Shenandoah Valley from Guanajuato, Mexico, more than 30 years ago, and built a successful vineyard management and labor contracting company. In 2005, Isy took over and began making his own wine. Today, he offers tastings for $10 or $15, choosing signatures like Primitivo Reposado, Petite Sirah Selección and Barbera Complejo, some so-named in tribute to the on-site Tequila display.

Park on the drive between the ancient Chevy truck and the curious teepee and covered wagon — this is the eclectic plaster and tile home of Pinot Grigio, Carignane, Primitivo Tesoro, Barbera and other wines available for complimentary tasting. If you find a wine you like, snap it up, since the tasting flights change frequently as wines are available; winemaker Michael Roser crafts 17 varietals into a collection of more than 20 labels.

You can sample at the polished wood bar and cleanse your palate with bits of cheese and crudités, but the best spot to linger is over a bottle on the patio, overlooking the lawn, flower beds and vineyards.

There’s no tasting fee at this elegant redwood tasting room that looks like a cross between “Little House on the Prairie” and a modern model home. Tastings are guided and personal, and you can browse among six wines like “R” Zinfandel. If a bottle is open, you might score a sneak sample of limited production “R” Charbono.

Fair warning: Many of the wines here come from grapes sourced from outside the area.